Around Bali, English is widely spoken and less so in Java, Lombok and Flores. But elsewhere, English is almost non-existent so if you’re getting out of Bali, learning a few words of Indonesian will be a great help.
The good news is that Bahasa Indonesia (literally, language of Indonesia), is one of the easiest languages to learn, especially for English speakers. For most people the biggest issue is overcoming their shyness about trying a few words, but in our experience, even in Bali the locals love it when a bule (foreigner) makes an attempt to speak their language so it’s worth making the effort.
With only a few exceptions, the pronunciation of vowels and consonants is quite similar to English but unlike English, there are no tricks such as two or three different ways of pronouncing a single vowel or silent letters. Bahasa Indonesia is also non-tonal and words are generally spoken exactly as they are spelled. Lastly, most adjectives and verbs are comprised of a root word to which different prefixes or suffixes applied to denote particular actions, states or descriptors. For beginners, using the root word alone will generally be enough to be understood.
There are many excellent Bahasa Indonesia language resources readily available on the internet and the good news is many of them are free. Our go to resources are:
- Learning Indonesian – Our personal favourite course. It includes 32 free downloadable podcasts with complementary pdf study guides. I’ve downloaded the whole lot onto my iPhone so I can study anytime the mood takes me. The lessons are well structured, well-paced and easy to follow.
- Lonely Planet Indonesian Phrasebook – Covers most basic words and phrases and is well laid out so finding translations is quick and easy. The handy pocket size makes it easy to keep with me all the time as my dogged-eared copy will attest.
- World Nomads Indonesian Language Guide – A really handy resource from World Nomads travel insurers includes a downloadable iPhone app or MP3 Podcast. If you’re looking to master a few basic words quickly, this is a good place to start. Best yet, thanks to World Nomads you can download their Bahasa Indonesia language guide right here:
In the meantime, we’ve put together a beginner’s guide to Bahasa Indonesia to get you started.
BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO BAHASA INDONESIAClick here for your free pdf
BEGINNER’S
GUIDE TO
BAHASA INDONESIA
Pronunciation
Pronunciation rarely varies to that shown below. The pronunciation of most consonants is consistent with English but there are a few differences. We’ve highlighted the ones to watch out for.
| a | ‘ar’ is in father | ng | ‘ng’ as in hanging |
| b | as in boat | ny | like the ‘ni’ as in senior |
| c | ‘ch’ as in cheese | o | ‘o’ as in pot |
| d | as in dock | p | as in pot |
| e | ‘e’ as in elephant | q | ‘k’ as in kiss |
| f | as in fish | r | ‘rr’ as in rice but with a slight roll of the tongue |
| g | as in gold | s | as in sat |
| h | as in house | t | as in tap |
| i | ‘ee’ as in meet | u | ‘oo’ as in food |
| j | as in job | v | as in vet |
| k | as in kite | w | as in walk |
| l | as in life | x | as in wax |
| m | as in man | y | as in year |
| n | as in no | z | as in zulu |
Numbers
| 0 | Nol | Larger numbers are denoted by the addition of the following words after the singular number as follows: | |
| 1 | Satu | ||
| 2 | Dua | ||
| 3 | Tiga | 11 – 19 | Belas |
| 4 | Empat | Tens | Puluh |
| 5 | Lima | Hundreds | Ratus |
| 6 | Enam | Thousands | Ribu |
| 7 | Tujuh | Millions | Juta |
| 8 | Delapan | The only exception is the first number in each group where the prefix ‘se’ is applied instead of using ‘satu’ as follows: | |
| 9 | Sembilan | ||
| 10 | Sepuluh | ||
| 11 | Sebelas | 10 | Sepuluh |
| 12 | Dua belas | 11 | Sebelas |
| 20 | Dua puluh | 100 | Seratus |
| 21 | Dua puluh satu | 1000 | Seribu |
| 30 | Tiga puluh | 1 million | Sejuta |
| 40 | Empat puluh | ||
| 108 | Seratus delapan | ||
| 235 | Dua ratus tiga puluh enam | ||
| 200,000 | Dua ratus ribu | ||
| 357,000 | Tiga ratus enam puluh tuju ribu | ||
Titles
In Indonesia, it is considered disrespectful to speak to an older man or woman without addressing them properly. Here’s how:
| Pak | A shortened version of ‘Bapak’ meaning father. It should be used to address an older man or if speaking to an important person you might normally address as ‘Sir’ such as a police officer. |
| Bu | A shortened version of ‘Ibu’ meaning mother. It should be used to address an older woman. |
There are other titles but these two will suffice in most situations as the important thing, which Indonesian’s will appreciate, is the intent to show respect.
Common Words & Useful Phrases
| Bahasa Indonesia | English | Comments |
| Greetings | ||
| Halo | Hello | |
| Selamat pagi | Good morning | Used until 10am. Often shortened to just pagi. |
| Selamat malan | Good evening or good night | |
| Selamat jalan | Goodbye to someone who is leaving | Literally have a “safe journey” |
| Selamat tinggal | Goodbye to someone who is staying | Literally have a “safe stay”. |
| Selamat datang | Welcome | |
| Hari baik | Have a nice day | |
| Apa kabar? | How are you? | Literally what’s news? |
| Baik | Fine | Response to apa kabar |
| Getting to know each other | ||
| Siapa nama anda? | What’s your name? | |
| Nama saya… | My name is… | |
| Senang bertemu dengan Anda | I’m happy to meet you | |
| Anda dari mana? | Where are you from? | |
| Saya dari… | I’m from… | |
| Yes, No & Maybe | ||
| Ya | Yes | |
| Tidak | No | Among Indonesian’s, tidak (no) is most commonly used to negate something rather than as a direct response to question. Instead, Indonesian’s prefer to use sudah (I already have it, I’ve already done it etc) or belum (I haven’t got/done it yet but I might one day). Most non-native Indonesian speakers use tidak only but if you can master sudah or belum instead, you’ll get a far more positive response, especially when dealing with hawkers and vendors. |
| Sudah | Already | |
| Belum | Not yet | |
| Mungkin | Maybe | |
| Titles | ||
| Saya | Me, mine, I | Used to yourself in any form |
| Anda | You, yours | Polite form of referring to someone you’re speaking to |
| Kami | We, us, ours | |
| Mereka | Them, they | |
| Anak / anak-anak | Child / children | |
| Bersama | Together | |
| Kami bersama | We’re together | |
| Manners | ||
| Tolong | Please | |
| Kembali | You’re welcome | |
| Terima kasih | Thank you | |
| Maaf | Sorry | Pronounced ma’af |
| Permisi | Excuse me | |
| Communicating | ||
| Anda bisa bicara bahasa inggris? | Do you speak English? | |
| Saya tidak bicara Bahasa Indonesia | I don’t speak Indonesian | |
| Saya sedikit saja bicara Bahasa Indonesia | I only speak a little Indonesian | |
| Tolong, bisa anda bicara pelan-pelan | Can you please speak more slowly | |
| Saya mengerti | I understand | |
| Saya tidak mengerti | I don’t understand | |
| Bagiamana cara…dalam Bahasa Indonesia? | How do you say … in Indonesian? | |
| Questions | ||
| Apa ini? | What is this? | |
| Apa itu? | What is that? | |
| Berapa harganya? | What is the price? | |
| Terlalu mahal | Too expensive | |
| Bagaimana | How? | |
| Berapa | How much/many? | |
| Kapan | When? | |
| Mana | Which? | |
| Dimana | Where? | |
| Siapa | Who? | |
| Jam berapa? | What time is it? | |
| Ada | Is/are there? There is. | |
| Boleh? | May I? You may. | When asking to be allowed to do something or being given permission to do something. |
| Boleh saya minta… | May I ask… | To which you may receive the response boleh or boleh-boleh – Okay, you may. |
| Bisa anda…? | Can you…? | |
| Expressing Yourself | ||
| Saya mau… | I want… | |
| Saya tidak mau… | I don’t want… | |
| Saya suka… | I like… | |
| Saya tidak suka… | I don’t like… | |
| Eating & Drinking | ||
| Makan | Food | |
| Minum | Drink | |
| Warung | Small local food stall or shop | |
| Restoran | Restaurant | |
| Air botol | Bottled water | Pronounced ar’eer |
| Ada air minum? | Is there any drinking water? | |
| Ada meja untuk dua orang? | Is there a table for two people? | |
| Selamat makan | Enjoy your meal | |
| Getting Around | ||
| Pergi | Go | |
| Tinggal | Stay | |
| Di | At | |
| Ke | To | |
| Sini, disini | Here | |
| Dimana? | Where? | |
| Sana, kesana | There, To there | |
| Saya mau pergi ke… | I want to go to… | |
| Bagaimana saya pergi ke sana | How do I get to… | |
| Kami tinggal di… | We are staying at… | |
| Kami tinggal disini | We are staying here | |
| Transport | ||
| Taksi | Taxi | |
| Ojek | Motorbike taxi | |
| Mobil sewa | Hire car | |
| Sepeda motor | Scooter | Literally motorised bicycle |
| Bus | Bus | Pronounced boos |
| Kapal | Boat, ship, ferry | |
| Time | ||
| Jam | Hour (time) | |
| Hari | Day | |
| Malam | Night | |
| Hari ini | Today | Literally this day |
| Besok | Tomorrow | |
| Kemarin | Yesterday | |
| Bulan | Month | |
| Tahun | Year | |
| Place Names | ||
| Jalan | Street or lane | |
| Pasar | Market | |
| Pantai | Beach | |
| Candi | Temple | Pronounced “chandi” |
| Palau | Island | |
| Gunung | Mountain | |
| Gunung Api | Volcano | Literally “fire mountain” |
| Sungai | River | |
| Toko | Shop | |
| Desa or kampung | Village | |
| Kota | City | |
| Other Useful Words & Phrases | ||
| Dan | And | |
| Atau | Or | |
| Orang | Person | |
| Rupiah | Currency | |
| Uang | Money | |
| Jalan-Jalan | Walk | |
| Saya jalan-jalan | I’m just walking | In response to taxi, ojek or hire car tout. |
| Di mana kamar mandi? or Di mana WC? | Where’s the toilet? | |
| Orang / orang-orang | Person / People | |
| Ada kamar untuk keluarga empat orang satu malam? | Do you have a room for a family of four for one night? | |
| Dua orang dewasa dan dua anak-anak | Two adults and two children | |